Fernando Santos was without Giorgos Karagounis from the centre of midfield, so Grigoris Makis played instead. Sotiris Ninis played on the right, with Dmitri Salpingidis upfront.

Greece tried to soak up pressure, but simply weren’t good enough defensively and Germany constantly created chances.

German approach

The most interesting feature of the first few minutes was the German pressing. They stood off the two Greek centre-backs without the ball, maintaining a good shape near the halfway line. However, as soon as the ball was played into the full-backs, Germany sprung into life and pressed suddenly and ferociously. This approach worked well throughout the game, as Greece struggled to put passes together and launch counter-attacks. The centre-backs weren’t good enough on the ball to distribute it usefully, though Sokratis Papastathopoulos went on a couple of charges forward.

The introduction of Schurrle and Reus made Germany more energetic, quicker and more dynamic with the ball. Reus and Ozil swapped passes nicely and occasionally changed positions, with Reus motoring towards goal purposefully and dangerously. On the other side, Schurrle’s direct play was more obvious when he got the ball, as he cut inside and shot quickly, though this became a little obvious and many of his attempts were blocked.

Greek approach

Greece played this game very cautiously. The back four rarely moved forward, with the full-backs pressed back effectively by Reus and Muller.

The Greek midfield was interesting, however. Kostas Katsouranis played an odd shuttling role – when Greece had the ball (or hit goal-kicks down the pitch towards the forwards) he was the highest midfielder, but when Germany had long spells of possession he often became the deepest of the trio.

But Greece didn’t have any great structure or shape to their midfield in general – Ozil pulled them out of position, while the runs from Sami Khedira often caught them by surprise. Germany simply attacked from so many different angles, and at such great speed, that Greece’s reactive football couldn’t cope – they were trying to react to so many different things. Ninis should have defended better for Philipp Lahm’s goal, but this came at the end of constant pressure, and Germany should have been ahead before having worked their way into the penalty box repeatedly.

Second half

If there’s one thing Santos has done well in this tournament, it’s been half-time changes (although the inevitable question is why he can’t get things right from the start). Here, he brought on Theo Gekas upfront with Salpingidis moving to the right to the right. Central midfielder Georgios Fotakis replaced left-back Giorgos Tzavelas due to injury, with Maniatis going to right-back, and Vasilis Torosidis switching sides.

Germany seemed to drop the tempo after half-time, almost as if they were planning on keeping it 1-0. However, while it’s difficult to say that the Greek goal was coming, or that they merited it on the balance of play, they had put together a decent break before the goal, when Gekas and Samaras combined.

The goal came when Salpingidis, now on his natural position on the right flank, got the ball to feet and was in a position to run with it, something that never happened in the first half. He crossed for Samaras to tap in. However, it was more interesting that the goal came from a loose Schurrle pass – it wasn’t his first, and he was later the first German player to be removed. His sloppy passing might prevent him from starting the semi-final.

Germany run away with it

Greece angered Germany too early, though, and Low’s side stepped up the tempo and ended up winning the game at a canter. The second goal, from Khedira, demonstrated his ability to time runs into the both excellently from deep positions – something he’s done well throughout the tournament, probably outperforming the more established Schweinsteiger in the centre of the German midfield.

From then on, Ozil took over to turn in his finest performance of the tournament so far (though his poor finishing is often remarkable for such a good player). He provided the assist for Klose’s headed third from a free-kick he’d won himself out on the right, then was the man who provided the run shortly before Reus’ thumped fourth.

Greece eventually got a second to make the scoreline closer than it should have been, but really this was a mismatch and uninteresting tactically, aside from the different qualities the ‘new’ German attackers provided.

Conclusion

Germany were – put simply – too good. The changes Low made broadly worked well, giving a quicker feel to the German side, a good move against a slow, cumbersome Greek back four. Klose scored a fine header, but more importantly his movement and link-up play made Germany more fluid as a whole. With a more intelligent centre-forward and two more direct wingers, Ozil was the main man to benefit – and he played a part in all four goals. If Germany can get him constantly involved, they stand a great chance of winning Euro 2012.

Greece’s approach relied upon good penalty box defending, but too often they were sliced open easily. Their old weakness, a poor goalkeeper, was also obvious at various points. But Santos did well to get out of the group in the first place, and his approach tonight was probably the right one on paper. Ultimately, there’s no shame in losing heavily to a vastly superior side.

108 Responses to “ Germany 4-2 Greece: near-total dominance ”

Greece played this game very cautiously. The back four rarely moved forward, with the full-backs pressed back effectively by Reus and Muller.

Or do you mean Özil?

Neil B. on June 23, 2012 at 12:31 am

He meant Schurrle, who started in place of Muller.

Anonymous on June 23, 2012 at 1:15 am

correcting a mistake with another?
Schuerrle started in place of Podolski on the left wing with Reus for Meuller on the right

Anonymous on June 23, 2012 at 1:59 pm

And in the second half with Mueller on for Schuerrle, Reus switched wings to the left, so through the course of the game we had first Schuerrle LW, Reus RW and then Reus LW, Mueller RW.
At least on Paper: in reality I saw Reus swapping places with Oezil, Mueller swapping places with Oezil and everybody swapping places with Klose

I concur. Good concise analysis of the game without all the fluff. Especially noting the brilliant way germany held off at the kickoff waiting for greece. They seemed momentarily confused at the lack of pressure but then germany closed immediately on the ballhandler and the two available passes. It sent a real message that greece were in the deep end.

M on June 22, 2012 at 11:26 pm

Credit to Löw to remove 3/4 of a front line that had taken 9 points out of 9 in the group for a Euro quarterfinal, and to give Reus his third ever Germany start in the process. Interesting that three of the goals could have been scored by the old front four (Corner, Free-Kick, and Lahm’s shot) but it still looked an inspired change, if not slightly obvious. Would love to see Reus (playing in relegation play off in Summer 2011) starting the Final.

koko on June 23, 2012 at 12:45 pm

He actually substituted all his goal scorers from the previous games.
Gomez, Podolski and Bender. And he could afford to do that.
That’s pretty impressive.

Toby on June 22, 2012 at 11:43 pm

Hat’s off to Joachim Low for doing the courageous unlike some other coaches cough*Del Bosque*cough and having the results to back it up. We all knew it was a huge decision dropping Gomez,Podolski and Muller after excellent results. He got the tactics spot on with Klose more mobile and combining well with Ozil, Reus,and Schurlle. Apart from the wastefulness of Schurlle and Reus in particular it was an utterly dominant performance. Maybe the wastefulness was down to the fact that they are a new front four. As for the negatives, Schweinsterger for me was sloppy in possession and made a lot of unforced errors. For the greece equaliser,Boateng should have remained goalside of samaras and maybe all the defenders where all caught high up but otherwise a very solid performance. The Question remains who should lead the line? I still think Klose should start with probably Reus and Poldoski. Gomez comes in when Plan B is needed.

Jota on June 22, 2012 at 11:52 pm

Imagine Mourinho would have done something like this. ZM would be drooling from start to finish…

I think Gomez would be more beneficial vs Italy/France and Klose vs England/Spain.

Lionell Messy on June 23, 2012 at 1:33 am

Yeah, it was real corageous trying it out on Greece. LOL!

Seriously?

Toby on June 23, 2012 at 1:43 am

Well I agree that Greece are a weak team and that may have emboldened him to take the risks, but considering that some world class coaches won’t want to disrupt an already winning team(Del Bosque,Mourinho), it was a bold step. If it didn’t pay off everybody would have said why change the team. The former team would have won but not in this way and credit to Low for opting for more risky tactically logical option rather than pragmatism at the QFs. I think it deserves commendation.

Peter on June 23, 2012 at 4:33 am

I agree with Lionell Messy. Think saying he took any kind of risk is kinda silly. He did it against Greece and it was only attacking players. Where’s the risk in that??? Mourinho also plays with subs in Copa del Rey in the first rounds lol

Anonymous on June 25, 2012 at 12:13 pm

So here’s a quick question for you: what’s the difference between the early rounds of Copa del Rey and the quarter final of the Euros?

See?

David B on June 23, 2012 at 1:33 am

To be fair to Boateng, he probably would have remained goal side of his man if it wasn’t for the shirt tug. Although it was a beautifully timed shirt tug, since he got away with it.

sibelkacem on June 22, 2012 at 11:47 pm

Greeks were ultimately dangerous on the break against a shocked German defence. This alone provides them the right to deserve the scoreline. They simply scored an equaliser too fast and gave Germany half an hour for a response. When you’re so weak and the opponent so strong, the only proper tactic is to play 70 minutes for 0-0 defending the best scoreline you can get, and launch a deadly counterattack shortly before the full-time.

hhhmmm on June 22, 2012 at 11:49 pm

I was surprised by Schweinsteiger, he had a horrible game. Definitely a defensive liability with all the passes he conceeded. Why was he allowed to stay on the pitch for the entire game?

drexler on June 23, 2012 at 1:39 am

He’s irreplaceable in the German line up. A permanent fixture. One would argue for the Toni Kroos and Khedira combination but it’s suicidal to change a core midfield dynamic during a game; likewise, the defense.

Anonymous on June 23, 2012 at 1:55 am

Why is Khedira + Kroos so suicidal during a game, when it can work to great effect when started (i.e. 3:0 friendly vs. Holland last year)

Tom on June 23, 2012 at 6:50 am

This might end up being a critical mistake by Low. This game was a golden opportunity to hold out Schweiny, who’s looked weary throughout the Group Stage. He’s going to be an important factor against Spain’s possession game, but not if he’s limping around the field.

Cogito on June 23, 2012 at 7:47 am

Kroos should’ve have come in for Schweini at half time, but Loew was too busy tinkering up front. I think today was an experiment to see if it was worth replacing Gomez and Podolski in the semi-final. I think we’ll see Reus and Mueller on the wings against England/France, Gomez or Klose up front is a coin toss (probably also depends on the opponent).

m on June 23, 2012 at 12:17 pm

They often say in the German press that he is the captain on the field. The team on the field was pretty young, Lahm, Klose and Schweinsteiger were the only players in the starting line-up to play in the previous tournament in 2008. I think Jogi wanted a bit experience on the field.

4-2-4isthefuture on June 23, 2012 at 1:16 pm

They say it because it´s easier to sell Schweinsteiger to the masses. They are wrong.

Confused; who is Papastathopoulospapadopoulos? Maybe only playing one centerback was the reason Greece lost!

stiip on June 23, 2012 at 1:55 am

Papastathopoulos is Sokratis. Didn’t know his last name either before the match, and that although he plays in Bundesliga.

(Btw, how on earth can you have Papastathopoulos play besides Papadopoulos? When I saw the tactical scheme, it occurred to me they did that on purpose to confuse the referees. Didn’t work, nevertheless.)

bob on June 23, 2012 at 9:23 am

not only the referees. on german television, they played a whole new system never tried out before, at least on the “chalkboard” it was a 2-5-2-1 kinda shape. and that’s only because of some weird long names.

I see a revolution on the football horizon!

ahtsun on June 22, 2012 at 11:57 pm

germany will give opposition coaches much more to think about after this game (if they didn’t know what was coming already)
they can play gomez (direct style)
or klose, (more movement)
opposition back fours cannot be chosen against only one type of attack….

D on June 23, 2012 at 12:23 pm

That’s the real beauty of this Germany squad. Loew has sooooooo many options attacking and midfield wise it’s scary, and like always they seem to be able to chop and change their style depending on the game.

Simon on June 23, 2012 at 1:57 pm

Finally.

euro2012 on June 23, 2012 at 3:21 pm

But what would happen if Germany meets Spain? Which team would have to adapt more to its opponent’s game plan?

I think Germany would be the one to change the plan more b/c Spain will always play their possession game. An intriguing match-up.

Johnny on June 25, 2012 at 5:41 am

Germany are more dynamic, direct, and a lot faster when they attack. Even with Klose, the “passing” option, they have an able header of the ball. Germany is a better all round threat, but they are defensively weaker due to not hoarding possession. I think Germany is more impressive as of now.

Jay on June 23, 2012 at 12:01 am

I think Reus played well, but Muller and Gomez should get the start in the semifinal.

Toby on June 23, 2012 at 12:21 am

Why? Can you give any reason? I think Klose can provide the aerial threat we expect from Gomez and offers far more than Gomez and if things do go wrong you can bring in Gomez, so I ask again why?

Jay on June 23, 2012 at 12:48 am

Gomez is more dangerous in the box and if Germany play a more attacking team they won’t have the ball enough to use Klose’s link up play.

Baxter_P on June 23, 2012 at 1:06 am

Either Italy or England will approach Germany with a defensive mentality, so for the semi final at least I’d lean towards Klose, as Germany will most likely control the match and dictate the tempo. Klose’s movement and link up play with the three advanced midfielders will seriously trouble Terry/Lescott or Barzagli/Bonucci. Likewise, if Portugal defeat Spain, Germany will be the dominate possession in the final too, and Klose will more be of an asset. The only opponent Germany can meet who will have more of the ball than them is, of course, Spain. If it was a Germany v Spain final, then I think Gomez would be an essential selection.

Toby on June 23, 2012 at 1:23 am

I really don’t know if Gomez is more dangerous in the box. Against a more attacking side, Klose is a better fit than Gomez cos of his mobility and dynamism. He will open up more space and is a better finisher. He also provides the aerial threat as we saw today. Surely his link up play is best suited for finding space between the lines. Gomez is more fitted for a very reactive side that know how to actually defend unlike Greece where a more direct approach might be needed. And against a more attacking side I presume Spain, I don’t expect Germany to concede much of the possession, I expect it to be a fairly balanced game with maybe Kroos starting or Goetze. Apart from the Aerial duels, I really do not see how Gomez is better than a fully fit Klose?

Jimbo on June 23, 2012 at 2:18 am

I think this thinking is a little muddled. If you want to make use of Gomez’s predatory skill in the box you need good service to him in the box which implies good possession, control and territorial advantage.

Which is at odds with a situation where Germany have less of the ball.

Gomez is unlikely to be dangerous if the opposition keep him from their box via controlling possession or running a good offside line, as he has mediocre outright pace and acceleration, and hardly threatens to play in teammates when in deeper positions or on the counter.

His MO tends to be, receive the ball, see if he can turn his man for a shot, if not, to lay off simply and look to get into goalscoring positions. Which is not to denigrate his talent btw, because I think he’s great at making space for shots for himself and shows great ability to analyse penalty box situations and improvise solutions or punish bad defending. It’s just to say that his utility comes high up the pitch, and if you can’t get high up the pitch you’re wasting his talents.

By contrast, the quicker and more adept team player Klose is much more likely to punish a high line via outright pace and slick interplay on the counter (witness the build up to Reus’s thumping volley following a chance created by ozil and Klose combining to play Klose in behind). Equally, he presents his own not inconsiderable aerial and predatory threat in the box (witness his goal today and superb goals record for Germany) making him a more well rounded threat. PLUS, his more obvious synergy with the front 4 who like to combine fluidly rather than be more rigid servants to a striker.

My one misgiving with Klose would be that he does make this Germany side play more open football – for all the variety Klose brings to their attacking play, it’s observable that the very fluidity that he brings can be a source of danger for Germany. With players looking to move beyond him with wallpasses and pivot creatively around him in a variety of ways, there are more chances for players to end up the wrong side of the ball and Germany looked a little creaky against even the timid counterattacking of this Greece side today, with neither centreback pacy and the holders fluid and willing to join the attacking fray. Today an open game suited them, as the clearly superior side, but it carries its own risks against good sides.

However, we need not necessarily infer from today’s performance that Germany have gained a soft centre to go with their newfound possession play; all teams inevitably play to the opponents they are up against so it was perhaps no surprise to see a slightly open, lackadaisical Germany today. The nationalmannschaft has an admirable record in rising appropriately to the occasion, especially when grit and obduracy are required, so we might well see these slightly worrying tendencies disappear when shove comes to push.

Overall, it should be interesting to see whether Jogi Low has the self-confidence to use Klose against a stronger side in a late KO round or whether he reverts to group stage type and trys to produce a more buttoned-up, simple approach utiilising Gomez’s more industrial skillset.

For my part, I hope to see Klose as I’ll largely be a neutral when watching Germany. My expectation is probably to see him as well; it’s no coincidence that ozil played his best performance thus far when Klose was playing from the start. As ZM noted, his performances will be key to their success.

Here’s hoping jogi bear is a cavalier not a roundhead

sry bout tl;dr btw. Got carried awaay.

Nan on June 23, 2012 at 3:36 am

Really excellent comment! You just expressed everything I have been thinking about the Klose/Gomez debate. It is interesting how people seem to forget just how great Klose is and how he is able to make the players around him better with his play. Like you mention, Özil had his best game so far and a lot of that is down to Klose. He really benefits from a striker that will play with him and help with build up play (i.e. Benzema over Higuain at RM).

To me Klose is the number one choice and Gomez has gotten to start because of Klose’s injury. Now that he seems fully fit he should get his spot back.

Sudha on June 23, 2012 at 3:50 am

Very perceptive analysis, spot on ! Enjoyed reading it !

As for Klose, to add to your excellent observations I would say that he would be a better choice on ultra defensive teams such as Greece as his movement and link up play tend to create space and openings for fellow attackers and midfielders.

However his constant movements means Germany have to pass their way into the D-box and this can slow down the game and can be read and stopped before the ball reaches the danger area by the 2nd bank of defensive players (ie midfielders). Greece made it easy for Germany by playing very deep and allowing the German play makers such as Oezil and Khedira have too much time on the ball.

To me Klose would be key against ultra defensive teams and those nations who play relatively open. For teams that tend to congest the midfield Gomez would be a better choice as he can act as the target man for crosses and also go for second balls. Gomez is also a better finisher in my opinion.

Against Italy and England, I think Gomez would be a better option in my view since these 2 teams likely to pack the midfield and harass from building up plays rather than sit deep and invite attacks. With Gomez, Germany would have the option of direct route to the goal and he would also occupy the 2 center backs, leaving more space for other attackers and midfielders.

Having Klose against Italy or England would be risky as these teams have very quick players (ex Walcott). Having Germany midfielders venture upfield too high to play one-twos and link up with Klose would open up open spaces for counter attacks. That’s why when Gomez played Germany looked solid in defence and able to break up attacks further upfield. However if Germany uses counter attacks (perhaps against Spain), then Klose would be perfect.

scalia on June 23, 2012 at 5:18 am

very good comment Jimbo, Nan, and Sudha. Excellent analysis about Klose and Gomez. I myself prefer Gomez playing against Italy and Klose against England (since Miro know how to play Terry )

Zadig on June 23, 2012 at 5:58 am

Fantastic insights. This was a lovely read, especially the observation about the Germans being more vulnerable when Klose is on the field, due to his direct style. Thanks for sharing!

RAHUL KHOND on June 23, 2012 at 9:41 am

i just read your comment sudha what are you trying to say just doesnt makes any sense to me . you are stating a fact and then you contradict it .yesterday also your analysis of the german team was way too one sided . if you need to analyze then do it from both sides not just one .
you are having some ideas and that is a good thing but you need to test those scenarios play them in your head . hope you get yourself sorted and be a good analyzer which i hope you will once you learn to stream line your ideas .

Henrik on June 23, 2012 at 1:45 pm

Nice one Jimbo but I disagree with one of your points. You say Klose is quicker than Gomez and therefore better on the counterattack. In my view Gomez is really good at counterattacking because of his pace and hes very good at making vertical runs into the space behind opponent backlines. When he played for Stuttgart, a very counterattacking side back then, he scored most of his goals after counterattacks.

Qpalzm on June 23, 2012 at 2:16 am

At the moment, I would say Gomez is sharper. Klose might have better technique, but his form is not as good as Gomez right now. Also, all the rebound shots from today, if theres Gomez, he might have taped one in.

Something had to give today, and it was the Greek resistance that was just too inviting to the German’s pressure, and it was the former who found themselves between a rock and a hard place. The Greek’s just couldn’t rally the troops when they got the ball and their set piece plan didn’t come to fruition as the only had one corner and no attacking free kicks.http://noeasyfootballblogsatthislevel.blogspot.co.uk/

Christian on June 23, 2012 at 12:11 am

In my opinion Germany did not play with two 6 like indicated on the board. Germany rather played a 4-1-4-1 with khedira high up and klose often dropping to the midfield with reus going behind the defense at the same time. Imho the reason why khedira was able to score, otherwise he would have been 5-10 meters deeper.

Anonymous on June 23, 2012 at 12:39 am

I think that Khedira just needs arrow forward on the board…

Henrik on June 23, 2012 at 1:58 pm

lol, exactly the same thing as Thomas Strunz said in ZDF yesterday. you must have seen that and just copied what he said.
like anonymous said Khedira just needs an arrow forward.
Khedira has made runs in the box in the case of crosses in every game so far.

Mark on June 23, 2012 at 12:24 am

As has been said, kudos to Loew for making a brave decision that paid off perfectly.

Thought Greece were extremely poor. They went ultra defensive which is understandable, but even Chelsea had an attacking plan, Greece rarely even had a player willing to go and attack in the opposition half. And they hardly defended brilliantly, Germany were just wasteful in front of goal in the first half. Surely it would have made more sense to play Samaras centrally as opposed to Salpingidis? Samaras can hold play up, win things aerially, and he’s not too slow either. Salpingids was never going to be holding things up and winning aerial battles against the ever improving Hummels and Badstuber? Also, Papadopolous may develop into a solid defender, he’s got some good attributes, strong, good in the air, but tonight he was just too naive and inexperienced up against Germans quick play and movement.

They’ve only beaten a poor Greece side, but Germany just look so impressive. Strength in depth is arguably nearly as good as Spain, Mertesacker, Gotze, Podolski, Mueller, Gomez all in reserve tonight! Think Reus has done enough to keep his place at RM, thought he was very impressive. Very good movement into right side channels, and good link up play with the fantastic Ozil. Still prefer Klose to Gomez as well, the space he creates is brilliant.

Sheldon on June 23, 2012 at 12:33 am

The positions on the starting line-ups paint a false picture. Neuer’s green dot needs to be moved to the halfway line.

I feel sorry for Santos.Imagine sitting on the bench thinking “fucking hell my team is shit!”

Ben on June 23, 2012 at 1:14 am

If he took out Schweinsteiger, he would have risked crushing his currently somewhat fragile psyche completely, losing him for the matched ahead.

Alex on June 23, 2012 at 1:30 am

“Greece angered Germany too early however”

LOL

JH on June 23, 2012 at 1:31 am

I don’t think it was so much the wide players that made Germany more fluid as the presence of Klose. Mueller has had a decent tournament, even if he hasn’t scored yet, but Podolski has barely been involved (Denmark goal aside) so him being dropped is far from a surprise. Due to those players’ understanding with Klose, I wouldn’t have dropped them, but it was a brave decision from Loew which worked relatively well – it gave them an injection of pace and energy which allowed them to press intensively.

Nevertheless, Schurrle was poor (and offered less than Podolski or Mueller), whilst Reus played fairly well, but I don’t think he played so well as to make him difficult to drop (certainly not much any on the whole than Mueller – who looked good when he came on.)

For the semi-final I expect Klose to retain his place, with Mueller back in and Reus probably starting as well. Schurrle didn’t impress, so shouldn’t start.

Locost on June 23, 2012 at 1:39 am

In a quarter final re-jigging 3/4 of the forward would have seemed like a risk but it worked perfectly

Really the Germans are goin to win this aren’t they!

I can only see Spain in keep the ball mode posing them any kind of problem; but, this time I think the Germans will make it third time lucky against them.

This was shocking from Greece. Its no good setting out to defend deep when your shocking at it. the gaps between the lines were huge and the greek keeper was pub level. Cant read anything into this really or the portugese game, lets face it portugal and germany basically got free buys into the semis and they get an extra 2 days rest. The organisation of this tournament is a joke the teams arent on a level playing field.

stiip on June 23, 2012 at 2:09 am

True, and partly due to the fact the hosts were assigned to equal level as Spain and Netherlands when the groups were drawn. On the other side, no one had ordered Russia to be kicked out of the tournament

Kyle on June 23, 2012 at 2:13 am

Would you have liked to see Greece come out attacking? It would have ended 10-0. The way they played today was the only realistic way to play, period.

Additionally, the teams were randomly drawn into groups. It’s not like the organization committee had a strategical master-plan and said, “let’s put Portugal and Germany in groups B so they can beat the weak group A teams, move into the Semis and have extra rest days.”

Anyway, if you don’t like the playing field in this tournament I suggest you stop watching the Euros because they are changing to a 24 team format. The change is only going to dilute the playing field further. Moreover, you might as well stop watching the World Cup because the playing field is even more unbalanced.

Michael on June 23, 2012 at 2:14 am

Well when we saw the draw for the groups we all knew at least one of these games would be badly unbalanced, but most of us expected Russia to make it out of the group so to blame the organization of the tournament is ridiculous. Would you prefer they pre-arrange the matches to suit your hypothetical evaluation of teams? I prefer a tournament where team like Greece have to privileged of getting crushed by Germany in the knock out phase, it shows they earned the chance to make it that far.

Tom on June 23, 2012 at 7:22 am

Germany and Portugal played in a brutal Group. All four of the teams in that group are ranked in the Top 10 in the World. Both of those squads deserved an easy Quarterfinal.

Germany were excellent and their quality showed. The first really summed it up, as not even one of Greeks forwards could produce a shot like that from range, let alone one of their fullbacks. All the goals were quality goals, with Khedira timing his run excellently, Klose showing he could score in the air and Reus producing an excellent finish.

Their fluid play was extremely entertaining to watch with the changes made and it obviously benefited Ozil, as it allowed him to roam freely and the movement from the other forwards helped to create space for him too. But the change in style also showed a problem, as Germany lacked a clear finisher in the first half. For all their fluid play, their chances were falling for Ozil (never a great goalscorer) and they struggled to reward their dominance. It took a wonder goal from Lahm to open the scoring, and this then made Greece come forward a bit and become more exposed.

The German midfield however was the key however and I would argue is the current best midfield of any team at this euro’s. Their fluidity, aggressiveness and creativity is so much better than most teams at this tournament, while the balance tips it in favour over Spain’s for me.

Greece were poor really, they were too easily cut open and never created a solid defense. They carried no threat in the first half (allowing them to be penned in so easily) but improved in the second half. Salpingidis running down channel and crossing for Samaras making a central run into the penalty area was always going to be Greece’s best chance of scoring.

Yeah sorry I left that a bit vague, meant that there was criticism he would struggle against a dominating Greek back line in the air, and that Gomez would offer more of an aerial threat. But he proved he could handle this back line and it will be a tough decision for the next game on who to play upfront. I would play Gomez if England, Klose if Italy.

I would like to see what would happen if Germany went toe-to-toe with Spain because they have just as good players. Kroos could drop in for Ozil to try and win the midfield battle more and it would be very interesting. Otherwise they could drop Khedira and Schwein back into DM’s and play on the break ala World Cup. I would back this German side to beat Spain, better defense and more dangerous for me, plus they can change styles depending on who they play. Spain are dedicated to the same style which they are brilliant at, but teams are figuring them out more now.

bart on June 23, 2012 at 8:48 am

didn’t see the second half … was having dinner and wasn’t bothered … as I said before, boring for the neutral (well the type of neutral I am, like to see a contest and not one team making mince meat of the other.) I did see all the goals as I kept the volume up and walked to the living room when a goooooool (Spanish for goal) came bounding into the kitchen.

That said … the first half wasn’t half bad because it kept things tense for being so close for so long. It is a pity Ninis was sleeping and the ‘keeper was really bad and it might have been 0-0 by the half.
I always knew that Greece would score because frankly that’s the feeling that Germany give me against these types of opponents, the frustration sets in in not being able to break the defense down … or breaking it down but being offside or not having penalty calls honored etc. I didn’t think a Greek goal would come from open play though, nice that it did.

ZM says that Schurrle misplaced passes but I personally think that Schweinsteiger had a shocker of a game (well, first half at least) … he misplayed passes including one for a 1 on 1 break that should have been a goal and was dispossessed real easily. The Greeks put pressure on him and somehow he just didn’t manage to avoid it, they did the same to Khedira but he moved away.
If I was England or Italy I’d look at the first half and think “hmm” … those teams have higher individual quality and play different systems but one tactic that they should adopt is to keep pressure up on the two German CMs and to make a ton of niggley fouls (avoiding a yellow) … Samaras did this well but the yellow was a touch too much, it was fun to see Khedira get more and more and more frustrated at this and the desperation in S.’s face in close-ups.
I don’t see Lahm scoring another goal like that and I don’t see Khedira playing another game like that either. Like I said in a previous post, the longer you irritate Germany slightly the more they move away from their style of play and the more frustrated they get and disrupt their game, this is the one weak point of their game/team.

As for my fantasy players … well it is a German run website so my Greek players got minus points, even after scoring a goal. How do you get minus points if you play to your ability? I ask myself, sheesh and they even managed to score two against this top rated team (name me the last team that did that and compare that with Greece! Switzerland and France) Also a player like Boateng got a ton of points (huh? caused the penalty and couldn’t outrun Samaras for the goal!?) … ah well.

Tonight’s game …
Well, put in for a Spanish win cuz uh my girlfriend’s Spanish and I live in Spain. But in reality I’m not that sure they’ll do it. I don’t really like France nor any of their players but I like their coach. I don’t really like many of the Spainsh players either (Iniesta and Xabi Alonso from the starting 11 and Llorente and Javi Martínez on the bench). I’m neutral towards players not mentioned, not that any of those not mentioned don’t have quality but I mean that I’m not going to watch a game just because Cesc or Xavi are playing for example, for me they’re not really a joy to watch. I’d rather watch lesser players like Samaras or Makos sweating it out on the pitch or X.Alonso stylishly try to play a long ball in to Llorente – like he’s moving through molasses and taking his time to taste the sweetness of life before connecting with those crystal clear eyes of Llorente and laying the ball perfectly on that player’s head, chest or foot for a cracking save or goal.
Ah well … Spain for the win … 2-1 again?

Michael on June 23, 2012 at 2:29 am

Given the certainty that Greece would sit deep and that the forwards would have time on the ball I am irritated that people refer to Low’s choice to rotate the forward line as “brave”. It wasn’t brave, it was gracious. He picked 23 players he has confidence in, so its not like he doubted the ability of the chosen 3, especially Klose, to make a decent effort at the very least. Shuerrle and Reus were the only inexperienced players in the squad, and their primary responsibility was to stretch play to give Klose and the midfielders space to run through.

I am willing to bet that Podolski and Muller will start the remaining games. In this match, when Ozil touches the ball 130 times, your wingers don’t need to be clinical or efficient because they know they will get more chances. This was a generous choice by Low but a safe one. When the opponents are better and opportunities fewer more diligent players will be needed and they will be Podolski and Muller.

What impresses me about Germany this tournament is that Schuerrle is the only one of Low’s alternate players who have played and not scored. 3/4 is an impressive scoring record for players outside the starting XI.

Toby on June 23, 2012 at 2:57 am

Even so, what makes it brave is the fact that it could have backfired and may not have worked. If it failed, everyone(including you) would have said why change a winning team. Granted, Greece are a very weak side and Germany would have been expected to win anyhow but we ve all seen games where the best team/Dominant team doesn’t always win and that may have happened here. It takes some courage to change a winning side whether it was a convenient change or not. I’m so sure if Del Bosque or Mourinho where in charge they wouldn’t gamble, no matter how easy a prey the opposition might be when it’s a QF game(it’s not a friendly for godssakes). Any mistake would have cost them the tournament. So props up to Low.

11_giggsy_11 on June 23, 2012 at 2:37 am

If Greece were a bit more brave on the counter attack such as committing more players quicker to support the man with the ball, they could have caused considerable more problems to a German defence that was playing quite a high line. But then again, if that was to happen, Germany would have possibly reacted by pushing deeper and so on, so on. Hindsight eh.

The wide players in both defence and midfield of Greece were shockingly bad at dealing with the German full backs (more Lahm) and wide players combination. Simply couldn’t deal with the German combination on the flanks and made the task harder for their central colleagues. The amount of times the Germans were allowed to come in off the flank and breach the wide 18 yard area was asking for trouble. Credit to the likes of Reus and Schurrle (and of course the best of the lot in this tournament at clever movement….Ozil) for their movement though, they have really good ‘inside movement’, couple that with someone like Lahm, it is a good combination, even if the final pass wasn’t good or the greed for shooting took over, especially by Schurrle. In general the German attacking movement is brilliant to watch on and off the ball. Overall, it was poor defending and simply got outmanoeuvred by Germany. Definitely didn’t were like the defensively disciplined team of 2004.

Meh on June 23, 2012 at 3:32 am

TECHNICAL ABILITY

Ian on June 23, 2012 at 3:46 am

And the German love fest continues…

Did Germany dominate? Sure, but they also conceded two goals against a Greek side that hadn’t scored more than one a game in the last nine matches. Germany, defensively, look pretty pedestrian.

Schweinsteiger was horrific. Gave away two balls that could of been goals.

Hummels has been solid, but there was a break where Samaras just sauntered by him…

Boateng is dodgy at best.

Jota on June 23, 2012 at 7:31 am

Well, the first goal shouldn’t have been allowed because Samaras committed an offensive foul, the second goal came through a penalty that actually was no penalty. So what?

bart on June 23, 2012 at 8:58 am

sh!t happens that’s what … sometimes goals get given that shouldn’t (just because a penalty is given doesn’t mean it’s a goal by the way … see Greece in game 1 … 77% of all penalties result in goals) and sometimes they don’t get given that should (Ukraine for example) … it doesn’t take away from the fact that Greece scored 2 against what is considered to be one of the best teams around at the moment.
Live with it.

Tom on June 23, 2012 at 3:53 pm

This isn’t a trash-talking website. There are plenty of places for that.

I suspect German fans can live with scoring 4 goals in 3 of their last 5 knockout games. They’re scoring at a 1950s pace against modern defenses.

Yepp. Can live with that very well. I prefer a 4:2 over a 1: 0 any time. Germany played boringly long enough.

11_giggsy_11 on June 23, 2012 at 2:55 pm

Boateng isn’t great but in general, I doubt they will play such a constant high line in the following game as they won’t be playing the like of Greece again. They weren’t comfortable at the back playing such a high line ( Schweini and/or Khedira didn’t do a good job either with filling in the gaps but I guess they got carried away with how deep Greece were playing). So most likely won’t see similar problems (though the different kind can and will occur) again.

Turbine-Tom on June 23, 2012 at 4:12 am

Hello from Berlin
First I want to thank you for this great website and your very professional review and contribute my analysis

Bastian Schweinsteiger:
Schweini produced a checkered performance.Schweini was not able to train over the week several times with the team
did not feel quite up to par, and it was also noted in the game. Seemed a bit erratic at the start, played several
uncertainty passes and took time to get into the match. after Samaras lousy foul,hits directly in the Achilles’ heel,
then Schweini seemed to hinder rather strongly and he underwent some serious errors in other situations,but he again
showed his Class.His orientation was significantly more aggressive than in the previous sections. Schweini was mostly
moving in the attacking half and used as almost the entire room.
The 94th International match was not the best of Schweini.

Samy Khedira:
The defensive midfielder Khedira showed another strong performance. Defense could not call his orientation towards Greece,
but he turned again and again in the offensive, the most important goal was scored for 2:1. His duel rate was 50 percent
and have to be improved.he Was found mostly in the midfield in the attacking half and showed Germany’s strength in midfield
by offsetting the weak moments produced by Schweini.

Mesut Ozil:
Mesut Ozil was set by Loew nominally as a man called out behind the strikers, but he was also frequently on the right side
of the road and constantly exchanged with Marco Reus position. Even if he could prevail only rarely in the limelight,
he was a very important face-off station. His pass rate was outstanding with 93 percent.I hope he will finished a score soon.

Marco Reus:
Marco Reus found himself quite unexpectedly in the starting line and he had so far this tournament not a single minute of use.
He thanked the trust shown by Loew brought him with an extremely committed and strong performance on the offensive scenes such
as when he scored the 4-1. However,he had a weak balance sheet with a duel of duels won only 25 percent,but for the Greek defense
he was extremely difficult to calculate, castled much and was very flexible. Its large range of motion he was involved in almost
every dangerous action. He often changed with Mesut Ozil’s position and moved to the middle where he came into opportunities.
After Mueller had come for Schuerrle,he moved to the left side – he knew after the game almost every inch of the opponent’s half.

Andre Schuerrle:
Surprisingly,in the starting lineup was Schuerrle. He came for Podolski on the left side and should play its last gate drive shown
in the German national team. Loew sat well on him, because he had more surprises in his last game as Podolski. A goal of Schuerrle
refused by the Referees in the fourth minute of recognition. Afforded a momentous bad pass that led to the clean sheet by Samaras.
Schuerrle saw numerous chances, but his side was much more consistent than Reus, which was probably due to the tactical requirements.

Miroslav Klose:
In attack, Loew also surprised.
Since he took Miroslav Klose for Mario Gomez.
Klose performed a stronger element of play in the offensive,creating more space.Unlike Gomez Klose fall into midfield and often times
can initiate opportunities from there.In the match against Greece could see that clearly, he stayed only rarely in the center of attack
His pass rate of 83 percent after all, was able to convince.Ranging but for the gate to make it 3-1.Filled the claim given by Loew profil
and traveled a lot.
Klose and Gomez – the game against the Greeks led the differences between the two types of players in mind an example.
Klose,whose jersey after ten minutes from top to bottom was dirty, Klose, the preparer, the striker who can also fall back but also does
not have the killer instinct that comes up with Gomez at this time. Against the Greeks,Klose were almost all involved in dangerous scenes.
and rewarded with a 3-1. It was 64th International goal in the 120th Use. Epic.

i hope we face the italian side next in half-final,because there is a bill we have open to them and to show the english side how to crush
the italian concreate defense.otherwise the english side has also an open bill to germany,maybe after 120 min and then a penalty shoot-out
i can do my traditional call to my friend Chriss in Croydon:
“Hi Chriss,this is your favorite Fritz from Berlin with a big sorry and again Football is coming home”

Sudha on June 23, 2012 at 4:14 am

I thought Khedira playing the best football of his life and getting better by game. It seems to me that he’s the real leader of the team instead Schweni by leading by example and taking the initiative and attacking directly. Mourinho probably would have been surprised to see Khedira playing such leading role in offense unlike in Real where he’s just one of the supporting casts.

Schweni probably carrying an injury and less than fit I suspect,there was a certain dynamism lacking in his game. He gave away many balls, which would resulted in goals against stronger teams. Unlike the match against Holland and Denmark, his form dipped and I suspect it is due to physical reasons.

Lahm is not as dominating in the LB position as in the RB role. I would have preferred Bender to Boateng and it is not just due to the 2 goals conceded. Boateng has all the physical attributes and defensive skills but his problem is awareness and reading of the game. And he’s certainly no fullback. Many a time he slowed down moves and failed to make runs to pull Greek players with him or receive the ball in offensive areas.

Shurrle and Reus added a new dimension to the German game merely by their style of play. By stretching the game and offering threats down the flanks, they create more options for Germany to attack. Schurrle’s direct play and willingness to shoot is commendable however his link up play and positional awareness and off the ball movement is yet to develop. Reus on the other hand offers a more rounded threat. He was always looking for link up play and running into spaces. In my view it Reus is a first 11 material, heads and shoulders above Poldi.

However, in a more tactical games where the wide players are required to mark and tackle opponents, I am not sure of Shurrle’s and Reus’ suitability.

Oezil had an outstanding game (despite his misses), switching positions and constantly moving. But expect he will be heavily marked vs Italy/England unlikely to get as much time on the ball as vs Greece. This is where Khedira, Schweni and Reus would have to play a bigger role in play making.

I wouldn’t worry about German defence, they are very solid individually and it is inevitable that Germany will be open to counter attacks due to their offensive minded game. It is really up to German midfield not to leave too much space or give the ball away in danger zones.

blipp on June 23, 2012 at 9:31 am

Schweinsteiger seems to be on some really heavy meds judging by his post match interviews. Resting him in this match would probably have been the better call.

Sudha on June 23, 2012 at 1:00 pm

Is that so ? I read that he missed 2 days of training but able to train with the team on the day before the match. It is a surprise that his condition is rather more severe than revealed by the German camp.

I am puzzled by Loew’s gamble in playing him. There is no need for such risk taking as midfield dominance is not a key vs Greece. In any case Germany has capable reserves to fill the gap. Kroos would fit in nicely, perhaps playing slightly ahead of Khedira.

Toby on June 23, 2012 at 4:34 am

A lot of confusing stuff on the Klose/Gomez debate. I think we all agree that Gomez has to be supplied well to function. Which implies a game where Germany dominates possession. Against an ultradefensive side that actually defends well like Chelsea and the Inter of old or even the Greece 2004, Gomez would also be well suited because Germany would have the possession and can also throw in the crosses to him. He can occupy the centre backs well and win the aerial battles. Against an open team or a more attacking side or even a well balanced side, Klose is well suited. His build up/link up play,mobility,pace and his finishing makes him the better option. I just don’t see how Gomez contributes more than a fully fit Klose.

FCBarca on June 23, 2012 at 12:21 pm

You really are a fucking idiot,you implied Greece 2004 weren’t as good as this average chelsea side at defending when in fact the opposite is true.

You’re the type of cretin to not watch games but base your opinions just on the score and what you hear in the media.

Toby on June 23, 2012 at 3:24 pm

You don’t make any sense at all. People like you should be banned.

Ryan on June 23, 2012 at 3:59 pm

He did say “of old,” which I took to mean Chelsea as well. The Blues’ defense in 2009 was pretty darn good, considering how they nullified Barca for 180 minutes! (And this coming from a Cule)

morpheus on June 23, 2012 at 7:40 am

Gomez works well against ultra defensive teams like Chelsea? As we saw in the CL final right?
Gomez needs the ball as a cross or in the foot facing the goal. If his back is against the goal he is
much less effective. The 1st one against the Netherlands being a rare exeption. And even there
It was a direct move towards the goal.

To be fair Gomez got a lot of opportunities against Chelsea, he just wasted them so badly. He was the right sort of player to play against Chelsea, he just choked on the big occasion.

Ghvinianidzigol on June 23, 2012 at 8:13 am

I am not a betting man, but I am thinking of placing a bet on Gündogan replacing Schweinsteiger for the next match, to give the latter a break from his apparent exhaustion. Have you SEEN his post-match interviews? Poor guy is on the brink of a burnout. Rest him for a match, bring him back in the final (supposing there IS a final including Germany…)

Thing is, before the tournament I said: Lars Bender might make a good rightback. Before the Greece match, i said (if only to myself) I would go with Reus, Klose and Schürrle. Löw is clearly reading my mind from Gdansk. As I would go for Gündogan for Schweinsteiger in the next match, I suspect he will, too.

4-2-4isthefuture on June 23, 2012 at 2:06 pm

Great minds think alike, as I said the same.

I also would like to see Gündogan given a chance there, but I really doubt it´ll happen. Schweinsteiger´s influence and standing are simply considered too important to remove him from the line-up for the next two crucial games.

It´s not like Schweinsteiger is some slouch, anyway. He´ll simply have to work through it.

morpheus on June 24, 2012 at 9:30 am

Gündogan is out for good with a sprained ankle. Anyway, Schweini is the last to be replaced together with Neuer and Lahm

4-2-4isthefuture on June 25, 2012 at 9:16 am

He wasn´t when I wrote my post.

Beppe on June 23, 2012 at 8:17 am

After so much discussion about the German attack I wanted to laud the defense, despite the two goals scored by Greek. I think Jogi Loew got it right when he stated that they scored two with a single chance. In general the whole team is highly skilled technically and able to play “Bundestikitaka” as the Guardian calls it, hardly losing the ball unless high up with the Greek team pressed into their own third. This ability and the good coverage of the middle third by the rest of the team allowed them to easily handle almost all Greek attempts and to keep up the pressure. Neuer, Bastuber and Hummels really have an eye for zonal marking/coverin. The first Greek goal came out of a sloppy loss by Schuerlle, who was on the ball like Schweinsteiger sometimes too clumsly, and an excellent break by Greece with very quick direct passes and a a great run down the line by the fast Salpingidis.

Personally I do think that Badstuber is a bit underrated compared to Hummels. He is a very intelligent and capable defender, with good reason the center piece of the Bayern defense and the national side. Perhaps he is less spectacular then his slightly older partner from the Bayern youth, prefering to defend more passively if the defense can profit from need more time, pushing or keeping the threat away from the danger zone. I think that you can see that he is used to play very high.

I completely agree, I think they have the best defense at this tournament. They allow Germany to play high up the pitch, keep possession excellently and hardly give away chances. Their only weakness is direct pace can catch them out, with Boateng’s pace missing from the central defense. The salpingidis goal showed this, as once he got past the German pressing, his could outpace the CB’s and cross for the goal. But even then it’s only the fastest players, as the CB’s are hardly slow.

Henrik on June 23, 2012 at 2:15 pm

I agree with you on Badstuber. Hes pretty underrated in Germany, everyones talking bout Hummels. When I look back at Badstubers season with Bayern I can hardly remember any mistake from him. Hes not the fastest but his positioning is outstanding and hes very intelligent and always makes the right decisions.

Beppe on June 23, 2012 at 4:28 pm

I pretty much agree. Hummels is playing a great Euro and has been one of my favorite defenders since he teamed up with Subotic, the season before they won the Meisterschale. However it seems to me that many pundits forget how good Badstuber played this season both at Bayern and in the N11. Bayern conceded very few goals due to a overall strong defensive performance and fine posession, however Ribery and Robben often failed to backtrack and the defense played very high, making the job difficult for the full and center-backs.

Said that the games so far have really shown why Loew wants such center-backs in the national team. They need to be able to initiate the play, receiving and playing the ball with intelligence and skill in addition to the usual duties of a central defender.

Dominic on June 25, 2012 at 8:04 am

I think the reason why Hummels is much more praised in Germany lies in the fact that he only just made it into the starting formation of the cup because of Mertesacker still being troubled by his injury.

For two years in a row Hummels has been one of the best rated centre backs in the Bundesliga but was almost completly ignored in favor of a player who, while being very experienced, showed a clear lack of speed and good positioning.

Badstuber and Hummels together could become one of the best centre back pairings in the world, considering both of them are very young and share the ability to open the game from behind, while also showing great defensive skills.

Renato on June 23, 2012 at 10:19 am

I have just one phrase to say about this game:
“The greek goalkeeper is so bad as hell,or he was paid for that”
In my opinion Greece was a lot brave ,and his defense and counter-attacks pretty good.

Beppe on June 23, 2012 at 4:29 pm

The geek keeper was indeed bad, as were the Greek poor efforts at defending and counterattacking. There were just a couple of good efforts and a single great contropiede.

Mas on June 23, 2012 at 11:32 am

In my opinion, it’s a great result for football. I was worried when the Greeks equalised, I thought the game might end with the dreaded penalties. Luckly enough, the Germans had other ideas. All the busparkers should leave the tournament

Germany completed 755 passes in total , 697 of them were short- says it all really. The intricate passing of Germany was just too much.

Then there was the German movement, with the likes of Ozil moving outwards, Reus inwards, Khedira forwards and Schurrle staying out wide, the Greeks didn’t know who to mark, or when, and were constantly being dragged out of position.

Credit to Greece though because when Germany initially retained possession, they did defend as a genuine 4-3-3 with Samaras and Ninis pushing right onto Boateng and Lahm, before dropping deeper.

Said to my mate 2 minutes before the first Greek goal, “Dan, if Greece score I’ll buy a Greek shirt tomorrow”

Germany should find a way of making Reus, Gomez and Muller work together. Was a great game to watch tbh.

Mark on June 23, 2012 at 4:01 pm

If Germany end up playing England, big IF of course, but who would you play Klose or Gomez?

Klose was one of the key men who destroyed us back in 2010, moving away from the defence, dragging the defence out, and then creating space. But this England team is far more disciplined and organised, I think they’d hold shape when Klose moves out, and this will make Germany’s play a bit more predictable and in front of us, and there wouldn’t be space in behind to exploit.

Or would you play Gomez? Who tends to stay high and close to the goal, and has been deadly so far?

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